The Avatar World has an extensive history dating back more than twenty thousand years. This article lists historical events in a timeline.

The history of this world can be roughly divided into two parts, the time before the Avatar and the time of the Avatar. Prior to the Avatar's creation, lion turtles served as the protectors of mankind, allowing the humans to erect cities atop their shells. Whenever the inhabitants of their cities would venture into the Spirit Wilds, the creatures would bestow the people with the ability to bend the element the turtle was affiliated with; the power was to be returned upon their reentry to the city. However, after the creation of the Avatar, the lion turtles denounced their roles as protectors of mankind, and the people were left to make their own homes scattered across the world, which eventually led to the division of the world into the four nations.

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Dates

To further clarify the often confusing timeline in Avatar: The Last Airbender, this timeline and other articles date events as years before the Air Nomad Genocide (BG) and years after the genocide (AG). 0 AG is the year Fire LordSozin used the power from Sozin's Comet to begin the Hundred Year War with the Air Nomad Genocide and serves as an epoch for the dating system.

Further notes about the system:

0 AG began in winter, but with spring coming soon. This satisfies both the solar calendar and the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Sozin's Comet arrived at the end of the eighth month (solar or Chinese) of that year, in order to satisfy the "end of summer" term used by Roku.[2]

Aang emerged from the iceberg during winter in late 99 AG[3] and the final battles of the war occurred in the eighth month of 100 AG.

Almost all characters turned their present ages in 99 AG, as no birthdays except for Yue's have been shown in the series.[4] For example, Katara turned fourteen years old in 99 AG and was nearly fifteen by the end of the War.

The only birthdays known to have occurred are those of Yue, who turned sixteen in early 100 AG, in late winter, and of Iroh's son, Lu Ten, who was of unknown age when killed during the war, but whose birthday was during the spring.

As Toph's birthday is unknown, Toph could have turned twelve in either 99 AG or 100 AG. Therefore, her given year of birth (88 AG) may be inaccurate.

Dating for some of the events between Aang's awakening at the Southern Water Tribe and Aang's arrival at the Northern Water Tribe may be inaccurate, as it is unknown whether the Solar calendar or Chinese Lunar calendar is being used.

Chinese zodiac

The Chinese zodiac is also included. It revolves around the mathematical cycle of twelve animals. The animals are listed here in order.

1. Rat
2. Ox
3. Tiger
4. Rabbit
5. Dragon
6. Snake

7. Horse
8. Sheep
9. Monkey
10. Rooster
11. Dog
12. Pig

Era names

On the second ring of Wan Shi Tong's calendar, sixteen era names are visible. However, it is unclear how these are used in the dating of the Avatar world.[5] The era during the date of the eclipse was the Ri Wu era.

Note: These definitions are very loosely based on the characters, as many of the combinations are difficult to understand. Some of the characters are no longer used in modern Chinese.

The first character in these two-character words has a radical (one of the 214 ideographic elements in Chinese writing used in combination with phonetics to form thousands of different characters) that represents one of the four elements, and rotates in the order air, water, earth, and fire.

气 — the "air" radical, used in characters related to gas

氵 — the "three drops of water" radical, used in characters related to liquid

火 — the "fire" radical, used in characters related to fire, heat, etc.

The current Ri Wu era, for example, uses the air radical (气). This system might therefore be based on the Avatar Cycle, with the era changing upon the death of each Avatar. If this is the case, Aang would be living during the Ri Wu (Superior military) Era, Roku during the Zhuo Guang (Brilliant light) Era, Kyoshi during the Yuan Zheng (Bastion of righteousness) Era, and so on. This would also mean Korra would be living during the Chun Tai (Honest and exalted) Era.

Humans begin to build their cities on the shells of lion turtles to protect themselves from the dangers of the Spirit Wilds. Whenever the people have to venture into the wilds to collect food, the lion turtles bestowed upon the hunters the ability to control one of the elements either being fire, air, water, or earth. Eventually, the majority of the cities lost contact, lost knowledge of each other's existence, and developed unique cultures.

First Age of the Avatar (c. 9,829 BG — 171 AG)

Before war (c. 9,829 BG — 1 BG)

The airbending Guru Laghima achieves weightlessness and lives his final forty years without touching the ground.[8]

830 BG

A past Avatar defeats Hundun and mortally wounds his brother, forcing the conjoined twin kings to retreat to the Spirit World.[9]

Unknown date before 345 BG

In the advent of the Avatar, the lion turtles collectively decided that their task as protectors of mankind was done and that they would no longer grant any more bending powers.[10]

As humanity left the cities established on the lion turtles, they begin to come in to contact with each other. The different peoples begin to wage war against each other, forcing Wan to intervene in order to maintain peace. His efforts, however, are of little success. The violent conflicts continue until his death and beyond. The next Avatar is born into the cycle after Wan's death.[10]

A group of waterbenders from the Northern Water Tribe construct a large city out of ice in order to unite the various tribes inhabiting the North Pole region.[13]

Following a civil unrest, the Water Tribe —which was originally centered around the North Pole— splits into two groups: one stayed at the North Pole, while the other group went out to settle the South Pole. Relations with their sister tribe were later healed, and the two tribes would gather together at annual New Moon celebrations.

A large group of waterbenders from the Southern Water Tribe, who are wandering through the Earth Kingdom, discover the Foggy Swamp and, comfortable with the large amount of water there, decide to stay, forming the Foggy Swamp Tribe. The Southern Water Tribe never learns of this offshoot and the Foggy Swamp Tribe itself later forgets its own origins.[14]

The Sun Warriors gradually fade into obscurity as their civilization declines, leaving many ruins across their island archipelago. The Sun Warriors are believed to have gone extinct, though in reality a handful hiding in the ruins would continue their culture for centuries. The art of firebending, however, was passed on to the other inhabitants of the islands. These would gradually coalesce into the "Fire Nation".[11] Originally the Fire Nation was a spiritual people ruled by Fire Sages, much as the Air Nomads were led by their monks. Over time, however, one sage rose to prominence above the others, ruling the Fire Nation as a sovereign, and the office became hereditary, beginning the line of Fire Lords.

The vast Earth Kingdom is gradually united under the political authority of the city-state of Ba Sing Se. The King of Ba Sing Se becomes Earth King, overlord of all of the smaller kingdoms within the Earth Kingdom, some of which retain their own hereditary lordship.

Avatar Yangchen of the Air Nomads is born in the Western Air Temple, after the death of her predecessor. Her reign as Avatar is a peaceful one, due to her fierce dedication to keeping balance and serving the world. She dies around 345 BG,[nb 1] and Avatar Kuruk is born in the Northern Water Tribe.

Avatar Kuruk tries to kill Koh, the Face Stealer, as revenge for stealing the face of his fiancée Ummi. This event is confusing to place chronologically, as if Koh's description of the event is taken literally, it would have happened c. 800-700 BG, over three hundred years before Kuruk's death.[4]

Avatar Roku discovers the first Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom and confronts Fire Lord Sozin. Roku and Sozin engage in battle, resulting in Roku destroying part of the Fire Nation Royal Palace.[17]

12 BG — Year of the Dragon

Avatar Roku is killed while fighting a volcanic eruption at age seventy; Avatar Aang of the Air Nomads is born.[17]

War years (0 — 100 AG)

0 AG — Year of the Dragon

Avatar Aang is confirmed as Avatar at the age of twelve, four years earlier than normal, because the monks were fearful of a possible war. The monks decided to send Aang to the Eastern Air Temple to continue his training. Distraught and confused by his destiny, he flees from the Southern Air Temple with his flying bison, Appa. Upon getting caught in a storm and being pulled underwater, Aang enters the Avatar State and encases himself in ice near the South Pole.[22]

Fire Lord Sozin begins his war on the other nations. He uses the power of a comet, later renamed Sozin's Comet in his honor, to launch a genocidal attack on the Air Nomads in an attempt to kill the Avatar.[2] All of the Air Nomads are killed except for Aang.

Kuei is born to the 51st Earth King, becoming heir to the throne of the Earth Kingdom.

c. 79 AG — Year of the Pig

The 51st Earth King dies. Kuei becomes the 52nd Earth King. Because of the new Earth King's youth, Long Feng is appointed Regent of Ba Sing Se, and becomes the Earth King's most trusted advisor. Taking advantage of his position, Long Feng suppresses knowledge of the war from the young prince and takes complete control of the city.[25]

The Southern Raiders attack the Southern Water Tribe in an attempt to kill the last Southern waterbender. Chief Hakoda's wife Kya sacrifices herself to save the eight-year-old Katara, the true last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe.[28]

Iroh's son Lu Ten is killed in the siege of Ba Sing Se, causing Iroh to end the operation after six hundred days.[29]

Princess Ursa conspires with Prince Ozai to kill Fire Lord Azulon in order to save Zuko and make Ozai Fire Lord. With Azulon's passing at age ninety-five, Ozai succeeds him as Fire Lord and Ursa is banished from the Fire Nation Capital.[29]

The Fire Nation establishes administrative control of the Serpent's Pass by establishing a fortified bridge.

First day of the eighth month: An attack on the Fire Nation Capital led by Avatar Aang during a solar eclipse in an attempt to defeat the Fire Lord fails, leaving many of the Fire Lord's enemies imprisoned.

Prince Zuko and Katara defeat Azula during her coronation as Fire Lord in the Comet-Enhanced Agni Kai. This causes Azula to lose her remaining sanity.

Utilizing Sozin's Comet, Ozai launches a major attack on the Earth Kingdom with his armada of Fire Nation airships in an attempt to decisively end the war with a sheer display of force and destruction.

An attack launched by Toph, Sokka, and Suki succeeds in destroying the armada while Aang battles Ozai.

Avatar Aang defeats Ozai through the use of the Avatar State, and uses energybending to strip him of his firebending.

Phoenix King Ozai is imprisoned for various war crimes.

Prince Zuko ascends to the throne as Fire Lord, vowing to the Nations that he will dedicate his rule to rebuilding the world with the help of the Avatar.

Tonraq, next-in-line for the Northern Water Tribe chiefdom, leads a battalion against an invasion of their home by barbarians. He destroys a spirit forest in the process, resulting in his banishment by the tribal chief, his father.

Zaheer, Ming-Hua, Ghazan, and P'Li attempt to kidnap Korra, but are apprehended by Chief Sokka, Tenzin, Tonraq, and Fire Lord Zuko. The criminals are imprisoned in different, specialized prisons across the world.[49]

The Equalists launch an attack on Republic City. In the course of their attack, the insurgents occupy the capital as well as Air Temple Island, and overthrow the United Republic Council. Amon removes the bending of several prisoners made during the battle, including Lin Beifong's.[52]

The United Forces' First Division is destroyed by the Equalists' biplane armada upon attempting to take Republic City back.

Avatar Korra's bending is taken away by Amon during the Equalist victory rally. Because of this, however, Korra unlocks her airbending and exposes Amon as a waterbender from the Northern Water Tribe. The revolutionary leader subsequently flees Republic City along with his brother Tarrlok. Nevertheless, the former councilman kills himself and Amon while crossing the Mo Ce Sea.

Avatar Aang's spirit restores Avatar Korra's bending with energybending and passes on that knowledge to her. Korra consequently restores Lin Beifong's bending, as well as the bending of every other innocent person that lost it.

After a millennium of exile in the Spirit World, Hundun reenters the mortal world to take revenge on the Avatar and throw the world into chaos. Korra defeats and kills Hundun, however, restoring balance in the Spirit World.[9]

A number of nonbenders gain airbending abilities all across the four nations, including Bumi, Kai, and Zaheer.